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Clan Moulder
Clan Moulder is one of the Four Great Skaven Clans which specializes in the mastery of breeding, mutating, and surgically creating some of the most horrific and fearsome war-beasts to have ever existed. Such is the demand for these ferocious creations that Clan Moulder is one of the wealthiest of all Skaven Clans. While many are jealous of Clan Moulder's might, few dare to openly challenge them, not when the clan can field an entire army of grotesquely mutated war-beasts. The loathsome stronghold of Clan Moulder, known as Hell Pit, lies deep within the Northern Wastes. The many foul creatures that roam this land provide the raw material used in the clan's breeding pits, skin forges, and flesh laboratories. The Clan Moulder spine-rune is a common brand amongst the clan's Packmasters, as are symbols of the glowing-green rat, and crude renderings of the whips and prodders used to goad the beasts that have made the clan infamous. Indeed, the respect and awe the other Clans feel towards Clan Moulder is well-deserved. Their twisted creations enhanced Moulder’s prestige and influence in the Under-Empire, but it is whispered amongst the other Skaven that this Clan plots something else, something far more dangerous and sinister. Whatever it is, none can say with authority, but the sudden surge of new and terrifying creations spilling out from Hell Pit has more than one Skaven Clan nervous. Overview Founded by Warlord Malkrit by -1450 IC, Clan Moulder holds Hell Pit as their home and lair. The mines of this teeming Skaven metropolis are rife with warpstone, and it is this material that is used to such excellent effect in the clan’s horrific work. The Master Moulders meld flesh and bone like clay, breeding or building beasts that can be used to bolster their armies. Given their exposure to the same mutating warpstone they use in their experiments, the Master Moulders are something more (or less) than typical Skaven. Stories are told of Skaven mutants that fly the banners of Clan Moulder, their bodies warped, twisted, and armoured, surgically altered or hideously transformed. The Master Moulders tinker with the anatomies of creatures in much the same way that Clan Skryre’s Warlock-Engineers fiddle with mechanical war machines, and the end results of these biological experiments are often just as terrifying. Giant rats and rat ogres are just two awful examples of Clan Moulder’s ingenuity. Not only can the denizens of Clan Moulder create monsters well suited to warfare, they have also learned to control them. The clan’s Packmasters, wielding whips with exceptional skill, can drive rat swarms, giant rats, and rat ogres into the teeth of oncoming enemy formations where they can inflict the most damage. Off the battlefield, the Packmasters train their beasts to fight by pitting them against one another. The skilled and strong survive, the weak and wounded die. Service to the Council The Council of Thirteen sees Clan Moulder as a valuable tool, and the beasts they create are valuable indeed. Not only do they possess battlefield prowess oftentimes unmatched, but they also inspire terror in the enemies of the Skaven. Hordes of giant rats and packs of ravenous rat ogres can cause a line of troops to crumble even before they have made contact with them. Moulder prides itself on the services it offers to discerning (not to mention wealthy) Skaven warlords. Many of their creations are available for sale, and they are proud to offer custom designs made to order. The Council of Thirteen benefits from such options, and nearly every Lord of Decay is the proud owner of at least one rat ogre. Two or three council members possess nightmarish creations that few but the Master Moulders have ever seen. Although their skills are geared towards changing bodies, the Master Moulders are quite adept in the healing arts as well. With the aid of warpstone salves, any wound can be healed and any body can be improved. The oldest members of the Council of Thirteen have survived to their extreme ages through liberal applications of Clan Moulder’s alchemy. Military Beasts figure prominently in the methods and strategies of Clan Moulder. The principle units in any of Moulder’s armies are the Packmasters, who direct hordes of giant rats, rat ogres, and mutated rat swarms against their enemies. Clanrat warriors, the most common antagonist in many Skaven armies, are only supplementary to this clan’s host. The beasts of Clan Moulder are their calling cards. The Clan’s menagerie of horrifying creations is seemingly endless, and exhibits a wide variety of mutated and surgically-altered beasts. Of course, the creatures Moulder creates are descended from monsters that have been captured, either in the icy wastes of Kislev or in the forestlands of the Empire south of Hell Pit. As a result, Moulder’s Packmasters are quite adept at capturing live prey. It has been said that each of Moulder’s biological horrors is created with a built-in failsafe that prevents them from harming members of their parent clan. In addition, such creatures obey the Packmasters and Master Moulders without question, making them dangerous investments for anyone who wishes to purchase one. Should a customer become an enemy, he had best keep his attention focused on any Moulder-made pets that he keeps. The mission of the Moulders is simple enough: to create, via surgery, breeding, or mutation, the most effective biological killing machines imaginable. These beasts not only swell the ranks of Clan Moulder’s armies, but are sold to other clans, where they act as pets, bodyguards, or front-line shock troops. Moulder’s goals have nearly been realized, and they work towards the day when their creations stand at the pinnacle of Skaven engineering. Clan Moulder Infantry *'Packmaster' - Packmasters are the trainers and handlers of Clan Moulder's various warbeasts and hulking monstrosities. These specially trained Skaven are experts at goading their charges - ferocious, half-mad creatures who can turn and attack with no warning. For this reason, Packmasters are themselves cagey and fierce warriors or, if they are not, they quickly end up as another meal for their merciless packs. It is common practice for Clan Moulder to sell both beast packs and Packmaster handlers to the highest bidder. Clan Moulder Warbeasts *'Giant Rats' - The most common and cheapest product Clan Moulder has to offer, these creatures might at a distance look like normal rats, but on closer inspection they have a variety of mutations, a staple of Clan Moulder expertise. The Master-Moulders have long ago unlocked the secrets of breeding, mutating, and surgically augmenting the common rat into a fearsome beast. Standing bigger than the average dog, these rats have a variety of features that only increase their effectiveness in combat, including extra heads, over-sized incisors or claws, spiked tails, and even strong bony plate armour. The far more mutated ones have exposed ribs, massive boils, and even skinless flesh. **'Wolf Rats' - Rat-wolves or wolf rats are distinctive creatures, blending the appearance of both Skaven and wolves. Covered in a thick pelt of grey fur flecked with white, they have shorter legs than their Skaven ancestors, keeping them low to the ground and suggesting that they are always ready to pounce. **'Brood Horrors' - Giant Rats that begin to mutate extraordinarily fast and devour their litter, they grow up to be bloated abominations. **'Great Pox Rat' - Bloated and overgrown Giant Rats, breed specifically to the mounts of Warlords. *'Rat Ogre' - The most infamous of Clan Moulder's many creations, these beasts are one of the largest and most fearsome creations at their disposal. Larger than any human, these beasts stand taller than two men, and have enough strength and muscle to fight a whole company of soldiers. A rat ogre is to an ogre what an ordinary Skaven is to a human. Rat ogres are usually covered with stitches, as many times their Clan Moulder masters have added "modifications" to their already formidable bulk, either adding large saw-like blades, weapon attachments, and even an extra arm to those few Skaven warlords willing to pay a few extra warp-tokens. **'Rat Ogre Bonebreaker' - A much larger and far more powerful variant of Rat Ogre. **'Armored Rat Ogre' - Rat Ogres grafted with armor plating. **'Mutant Rat Ogre' - Rat Ogres mutated with extra limbs and bodyparts. **'Augmented Rat Ogre' - Half-Rat, half-machine aberrations of Clan Skyre technology. **'Stormfiends' - A combination of Clan Moulder bio-engineering, and Clan Skryre arcane technology. Stormfiends are a more intelligent variety of rat ogre created by fusing Skaven into the body of a rat ogre. These abominations then have custom-made weapons from Clan Skryre grafted onto their bodies. Stormfiends were first fielded during the End Times, and are amongst the most dangerous creations of the Skaven. *'Burrowing Behemoth' - A burrowing rat-creature. *'Chimaerat' - A horrible fusion of Chimerae and rat. *'Hell-Pit Abomination' - The greatest horror Clan Moulder has ever created, this monstrosity towers over most buildings. A massive beast standing taller than eight men, and many, many times stronger, this engine of destruction is unstoppable on the battlefield, with many not having the courage to even look at the hideous sight. *'Throtlings' - Throtlings are so named because of Throt the Unclean's obsessive habit of grafting together unfortunate creatures with warpstone-infused salve when he is in between projects. *'Flayerkin' - Flayerkin are mutated marauders grafted with massive blades upon their hands. Notable Characters *'Throt the Unclean' - Throt the Unclean is one of the most twisted and ingenious Master Mutators of Clan Moulder and has exploited that success to position himself as one of the nine Lords of Hell Pit. The effects of a lifetime's work with warpstone can be seen, as bone spines protrude out of Throt's back and a third arm sprouts out of his bloated but powerful frame. *'Skweel Gnawtooth' - Skweel Gnawtooth is perhaps one of the greatest Packmasters within Clan Moulder. The majority of Packmasters seem to drive their charges but Skweel seems to guide creatures, rather than simply lashing them forward. To Skweel, Giant Rats and Rat Ogres are not barely controlled feral beasts, but trained animals eager to do their master's bidding. *'Ghoritch' - Ghoritch is Throt's greatest success in the field of translocation of the brain. Ghoritch was once a frenzied Norscan berserker who served Archaon, but the creed of his bloodthirsty god Khorne ran strong in his veins, and Ghoritch led a foolhardy attack on an Empire artillery train, despite express orders to the contrary. Even though he survived, most of his tribe was cut down, and his punishment was swift and inventive. Like many who had failed, Ghoritch was given to the Master Mutators of Clan Moulder for their unholy experiments. Source * : Warhammer Fantasy RPG 2nd ED -- Children of the Horned Rat ** : pg. 46 - 47 ** : pg. 67 * : Uniforms and Heraldry of the Skaven ** : pg. 14 * : Warhammer Armies: Skaven (7th Edition) ** : pg. 8 ** : pg. 55 * : Old World Beastiary (2nd Edition Fantasy Roleplay) ** : pg. 38 es:Clan Moulder Category:Clan Moulder Category:Great Clans Category:C Category:M